By Chance
by Arinya
Summary: When an ordinary girl slips into the wizarding world by accident, no one can tell what will happen-- except wondrous things. Snape action inside.
1. Looking But Not Finding

**Title**: By Chance (Working Title, suggestions appreciated)   
**Author**: Me! Arinya, known as many other names, Neopluto being one of them.   
**Rating**: PG-13   
**Summary**: When an ordinary girl slips into the wizarding world by accident, no one can tell what will happen, except wondrous things. Included: Snape action, good drama writing.   
**Disclaimer**: This disclaimer goes for all the chapters of this story. None of J.K Rowling's characters belong to me, and at the moment are just being borrowed. No infrigement intended. I'm not making any money off of this. Stella on the other hand is mine, as well as any other original characters that pop up along the way. 

Author's Note: This is un-betaed, alot like most of my stuff...truth is, I don't have time to get it corrected by a beta and put them in. BUT! It's still rather good writing compared to alot of the other stuff that gets put here, give it a chance will you?

Chapter 1: Looking, but not Finding   
  
Stella was having an incredibly horrible day. How often was it that she got lost on her free period? Her school was in Manhattan, and free periods were time to do whatever the hell the student wanted to, preferably for studying, but many were known to go to the Park or shopping. Stella had been planning to visit a new bookstore that had just opened up. She had first known about it when she looked in the newspaper that morning on her commute to school through the subway. She was sure she had the address right, in fact, she was holding the clipping in her hand, and yet...she was completely lost.

She took another look at the clipping.

_Brighthouse Books  
Where Worlds Connect and Share Knowledge  
  
Open six days a week: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays 9 AM-10 PM, Thursdays 8 AM-2 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays 9 AM-8 PM. Come visit and pick from our selection of over 3,000 books at ---_

She stowed the clipping back into her bookbag, it was frustrating to look at. She wasn't the _most_ clumsy person on the Earth, so she could rule human error out, but she was in the right place! Why the heck did she not see the store? She walked back up the block again, scanning the stores with no success, then stopped, sighing, and looked at her watch. It was nearly time to go, she needed to give herself ten minutes to get back to school. Not only that, but it was a Thursday, and it was already 1:40! She had spent nearly half an hour searching for the place.

"I'll try tomorrow I guess..." she said to herself, and took one more look to the row of stores.

"Wait..." she whispered, and took a step towards them.

All of a sudden, she could see two huge glass double doors in front of her. The sign held above the doors said _Brighthouse Books_ in bold proud letters. The huge glass pane over the sign showed many people walking around tall bookcases. She just stood there for a moment, feeling incredibly stupid. Had she really not seen this enormous store? Things like this had happened before, but she thought she had grown out of that and her eyes were 'working better' now.

Stella took one more look at her watch, thinking it would be okay to pop in for a bit, take a quick look, then come back the next day to get whatever book she really wanted. She put her hand on the metal handle of the door, pulled, and walked inside.

The blast of cool air was much more pleasant compared to the humid late-summer air environment she had just left. She wiped off the sweat on her brow, and eagerly headed towards the Fiction section of the store. She put away the newspaper clipping, there was no more need of that now.

She laughed at herself a little as she looked at the various spines and titles on the shelf in front of her. She was absolutely ridiculous! Of course the store was here, she had just been so frantic, she couldn't see it at first! It had happened plently of times before, so it wasn't so surprising. After all, she was the girl who couldn't spot the pencil on her desk and went around the entire classroom looking for it. That was an embarassing moment.

There were a bunch of books she had never heard of, but looked very interesting. She took several out halfway, looking at the cover art, then slid them back in. There were a couple more shelves up ahead, she was sure taking a brief look at them wouldn't hurt, and went over.

When she passed the next bookcase, she stopped in her tracks. Was she dreaming? What was going on?

"Don't push John!" said a young girl, trying to get back into the long line leading a the frame of a mirror.

"Shut up Grace!" muttered John, shoving his sister again.

"Hey, don't leave me behind!" said Grace when they were at the head of the line.

"You're such a crybaby," said John, and grabbed her hand roughly, the other holding a plastic bag full of books.

"I'm telling mom!" said Grace right before he pulled her through the frame, and they disappeared.

The frame looked like it wasn't holding anything at first, but when the two children passed through it, the surface rippled and turned silver before returning to its previous state. Stella felt her jaw drop slightly, and turned into the next aisle, so that she could sort out her thoughts properly.

It was too dangerous to speak outloud, even though that would have been easier. All that kept running through her head right now was that she had just seen two people disappear like it was an ordinary thing. This bookstore wasn't normal. She dug out the clipping from her bookbag again, and looked at it. _Brighthouse Books, where worlds connect and share knowledge._ It couldn't be _literal_, could it? It was a catchy slogan...but honestly, this was all a trick her mind was playing on her. Stella took another peek over the bookcase, and saw several more people go through the various frames. No, she wasn't dreaming.

"Okay, all I have to do is walk out of here, and forget about this," she said to herself and took a deep breath.

Suddenly her hand was grabbed by a very disgruntled looking ten year old. Her mouth opened and closed, shocked for a second, and not knowing what to say as the boy dragged her along.

"I'm sick of this place Hannah! That stupid man doesn't have any Kenshin mangas! What kind of bookstore _is_ this?! I mean honestly, over THREE thousand books, and not even ONE Kenshin manga???" the boy ranted viciously.

"HEY!" Stella managed to shout at him.

"Don't start Hannah! I'm really mad! I want to go home!" he said, pushing all the other people out of the way as he stormed through the line to a mirror, then went through.

Stella felt a brief tingling as she passed through the frame of the mirror, and when she came out on the other side, a very displeased Hannah stood on the other side with crossed arms. The boy let her hand go quickly, whirling around to face Stella.

"Oh! I'm SO sorry! I thought- I thought you were my sister!" he said, looking awfully embarrassed.

"I've been waiting here since forever Paul!" said Hannah.

Stella thought the sister did bear some resemblance to her, she had a small stature, and short black hair. They looked to be about the same age too, 15, but that was where the similarities ended. The girl was sporting an eyebrow piercing, and had a couple more on both of her ears. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"Paul! Did you forget? We have to meet Mom and Dad before two! And look, it's two already! Don't tell me you were looking for more of those ridiculous comic books!"

"Ugh...can we just go now?" asked Paul, not wanting to carry on the conversation in front of Stella.

"Come on kid," said Hannah, and she took her brother around the corner.

"...ooookay," said Stella, raising both her eyebrows, then turned around to go back through the mirror frame, only to knock her face against it.

Stella stepped back, fazed, and shook her head. The surface of the mirror turned silver, then back to the regular clear. She reached out to it with her hand, and found that they wouldn't go through.

"The bookstore is closed now, it's 2:05 you know," said the elderly man beside her.

"Uh?" asked Stella, turning her head sharply, he had caught her by surprise.

"There are strict security measures around here, because the portals allow burglars to come in. So when it's closing time, it's closing time, and there are wards set all over the place," he said.

Stella was getting a bit frantic, and blinked her eyes rapidly. The old man just shrugged and gave her a sympathetic smile, and went on his way. She tried the mirror again, but it wouldn't work, there was even a sign that appeared whenever she tried and failed, spelling 'closed'.


	2. On A Roll

**Title**: By Chance (Working Title, suggestions appreciated)   
**Author**: Me! Arinya, known as many other names, Neopluto being one of them.   
**Rating**: PG-13   
**Summary**: When an ordinary girl slips into the wizarding world by accident, no one can tell what will happen, except wondrous things. Included: Snape action, good drama writing.   
**Disclaimer**: This disclaimer goes for all the chapters of this story. None of J.K Rowling's characters belong to me, and at the moment are just being borrowed. No infrigement intended. I'm not making any money off of this. Stella on the other hand is mine, as well as any other original characters that pop up along the way.   
A/N: Much thanks to Glolite who was my first reviewer and for telling me I'm original. It's what I've been wanting to hear!   
Also Koshi-chan who should really get around to writing the fic she wants to! :D Thank you for the support, I'm a bit surprised I actually got reviews. And we'll get around to those problems soon. As for the Kenshin bit, it was for a friend who doesn't know he's been spotlighted. 

Chapter 2: On A Roll

"Augh!" she muttered, and resisted from kicking the mirror.

Stella didn't know what to do. Here she was, trapped in some foreign place, with no way back until the next day. And even that was a long stretch, what about food, a place to sleep, and most importantly...a bathroom?

Nevermind the srange and almost magical things she had been seeing today, all she wanted was to be back home, or somewhere safe until she _could_ go home. She was feeling pretty hopeless now, and shouldered her bookbag a bit higher, and crossed the street to a Pub, there would at least be a place to sit.

When she entered, she found the atmosphere to be very friendly, but was still an outsider to it all. She picked out an empty table in the far back, and sat down, putting her bag on the table. She would just sit here until she thought of something better to do, or until the shock wore off.

"Did you see that monstrosity the Americans built on the other side of those portals?" asked Kay, downing a his mug.

Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron shook his head while cleaning out a similar cup.

"Actually no, I haven't got a chance to see the place. Pub's been full ever since the shop showed up"

"I'm telling you, the thing's huge! What do these Yankees think they're trying to pull, sticking their portals here and there? Have you seen the people come out of them?! The whole lot of them have got piercings in the strangest places! Ears, noses, _bellybuttons_!!" said Kay.

"Calm down there mate, seems like you've had one too many drinks there," said Tom, putting down the glass he was drying and clapping a hand on Kay's arm.

Kay cracked a crooked smile.

"Now what are you talking about Tom old boy? Have you ever seen me take 'too many drinks'? Huh! The idea! Preposterous!" snorted Kay.

"Hmm, who's the newcomer?" asked Tom, seeing a dark-haired young woman at the other end of the room.

Kay turned in his seat, craning his head to look for the person Tom was talking about.

"You mean the girl over there? Haven't seen her around before. Maybe she's an American!" said Kay, laughing at his own joke.

"Hush Kay, you know the Americans have come up with some ingenious things these days, and don't go judging people like that, it'll get you in a lot of trouble you won't need," chided Tom.

"You ain't my mother, and besides, when have I ever been wrong about these things?"

"Give me a sec Kay, I'll go see if she wants anything to eat, and then we can start talking about how your supernatural sixth sense has gotten you into more trouble than you can remember," said Tom grinning.

"Hmph," said Kay.

Stella was observing the people around her, and found that some didn't look like people at all! There was an old woman with a hood on near the bar, Stella caught sight of her fingers, gnarled and shaped like claws. Then she could have sworn that she heard the old woman's voice above the chatter in the pub, high-pitched, almost wailing, like some sort of banshee. Stella held her left arm and squeezed her fingers nails down into it, trying to wake herself up. No luck.

"Excuse me Miss, is there anything you want?"

Stella nearly fell out of her chair. She looked at the person who asked, a middle-aged man with a long apron.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" he asked.

"Um, yes," said Stella.

"My apologies again, would you like anything to drink? Eat?" asked the man.

"How much be?" asked Stella, sounding somewhat hopeful, she'd love to have some, it would lighten her up considerably.

"Co-Coffee?" he asked, looking very confused.

"Yes you know, ground beans, filtered with water...? No...I guess you don't," said Stella, her heart sinking again.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that some sort of muggle drink?" asked the man.

"Mu-?" Stella stopped herself from saying the word.

'Muggle? What sort of strange word was that? And what did it mean? Obviously it was a noun, or descriptive word, maybe both, probably. Like ...British drink, or African drink, or something along those lines...yes, so... what exactly was a muggle? What sort of people am I surrounded by? Crazy people, that's what!' Stella's mind screamed at her for a moment, 'Okay Stella, hang in there, they're not just crazy, it's like magic, yes that's it, magic! So the weirdest thing in a magic community would be the opposite, a nonmagical person! So Muggle means nonmagic! ...I hope I don't make an idiot out of myself,' she thought, and she looked up at the man who was staring back at her with a curious look.

"Ah well, it's a bit addictive after you first try it. Some of the things muggles have, just insane, you get to love them like that," said Stella, shrugging and smiling.

"I see..." said the man.

"Yes you just leave me alone now?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too blunt.

"Of course," he said, and went away.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Stella let out a breath of air she had been keeping in for a while.

"That was close," she said to herself, and wished she had ordered something from him and kept her mouth shut about the coffee.

She had some money, probably enough to buy a meal or two that would really fill her up if need be. But now she had figured out what sort of place she as in, she wasn't sure if her money would work. She had forty dollars in bills, not counting change, but what if there was another type of currency here? If she got caught handing out bills to a shop owner, would they notice that she wasn't one of them right away? And if they did, what would happen to her?

Stella was scaring herself. She took a deep breath and took out a Jolly Rancher from the front pocket of her bag. Unwrapping the candy was giving her something else to do than mull over all the possible scenarios that could unfold. She popped it into her mouth, trying to savor the sweet taste as long as possible. She might even have to live off her candy for a while until she figured out what to do.

She decided that the Pub would be a good place to remember. It was somewhere she could be alone, and not look suspicious, and it was close to the portals. The only thing left to do at the moment was think about her destination. It was obvious she couldn't stay here overnight. Even magical communities had to have schools right? The streets had been packed with children, and she was just the age for a student. With new resolve, she stood, slinging her bookbag over her shoulder and making way to the man she had just spoke to before.

"Um hi!" said Stella loudly, trying to get his attention.

The man turned around from tending to something, and smiled.

"Hello there! So is there anything you want? I'm afraid I still don't have any coffee"

"No. Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me something...because I'm a bit lost," said Stella, hoping she was giving a convincing performance.

"Lost?" asked the man, looking alarmed.

"Yes...I'm a student-," started Stella, wondering how she would go on with her story.

"Ah! So you go to Hogwarts? Don't worry, muggles always forget their way around London after the summer! You're lucky though, if it had been another day later, I would have had to floo you there. Remember King's Cross?" asked the man looking quite excited now.

Stella was still trying to process all the information he had thrown at her. Muggles went to magic schools? She was in London?! And just what, nevermind where, was King's Cross?? She tried to smile, but failed miserably, and looked down at her feet. The man smiled sympathetically.

"Doesn't seem like it. I guess I'll floo you there anyhow, there's no harm in it. Usually the train leaves in the morning, but there is a late express one for people like you. I'm sorry if I sound rude," said the man.

Stella shook her head quickly, "No no no! It's perfectly all right, I'm a bit clumsy anyhow"

Stella thought this over in her head. King's Cross must be some sort of transportation area, he mentioned trains. Well since she had two days to blow, surely the train wouldn't go so far for a school, it would need shops for the students and this was the perfect place.

"Okay, let's floo you over there," said the man.

"Right," said Stella, and waited somewhat nervously, was he going to just zap her to King's Cross?

"...Tom, she doesn't _know_ what a floo is," said the man sitting at the bar.

Stella froze for a moment, she was found!

"Silly me! Of course you don't. Students don't usually travel by floo, can get a bit messy"

"I-I've only done this once before...and well, it was a while back," said Stella.

"It's all right, just follow me over to the fireplace, that's right, and here, take this, don't drop it!" said Tom.

When she opened her hand, he put some pink powder into it. _So this is floo_, she mused.

"Now step into the fire, toss it in the air, and shout, King's Cross! Very loudly and clearly"

"Step ...into the fire?" asked Stella, sounding a bit skeptical.

"It won't hurt you, I promise," said Tom with the most sincere look on his face.

Stella stepped tentatively towards the fire, put one foot in, then the other. She could hardly believe she was standing in a working fireplace, and looked down at the flames around her. They didn't hurt one bit!

"There now, see, it wasn't too hard. Remember, King's Cross. Have a safe trip!" he said, and waved.

_There's no turning back now_, she thought, and tossed the handful of pink dust up.

All of a sudden, the flames roared up and flared a bright green. Although she was now scared out of her senses, she managed to shout out, "KING'S CROSS!" with the loudest voice she could muster. It was probably because she was so frightened. Then she whirled out of the fireplace, through the floo network, faster than one could say 'abracadaba'.

"Dammit Tom, did you see her face?" asked Kay, from his viewpoint.

"She looked a bit apprehensive," said Tom.

"Apprehensive?! She looked downright scared!"

"She's only gone by floo once, and you know, lots of people dislike the floo for their own reasons"

"...I don't know about that. What sort of person gets so miffed about getting a bit of soot on them?" asked Kay.

"I guess you wouldn't, looking like that all the time," said Tom, and quickly picked up a broom, in case he would have to defend himself.

Kay waggled a finger at him with squinty eyes.

"You be careful there Tom, I'm a dangerous man"

Tom laughed, and started sweeping around the fireplace.

"Sure you are, you couldn't hurt a fly!"

Kay snorted and waved a hand at him.

"Shut yer trap and clean 't hurt a fly, hmph!"

Stella wasn't sure if she was screaming or not, but when she emerged from the whirling vortex of soot and other assorted materials, she fell onto the floor coughing. Her hair was an absolute mess and her face was covered black. When she was in the floo, or whatever it was called, she had seen numerous grates pass by, she hadn't been sure which one was King's Cross, and if she would automatically stop where she was supposed to end up. Everytime she tried to reach out to an opening, it felt wrong, and she retracted, going back into the chaos. She had finally ended up here, and she was thankful for that. How she knew she had arrived was the sight of a large bright red train all raring to go.

"Another lagger eh? Come on! It's about to leave!" said a sharply dressed man, bending over to help her up.

"Oh you're a right mess," he said, smiling a bit as he pulled her up.

"Thank you," she said, ignoring his comment, and after swallowing, some of the soot had gotten into her throat.

"Hurry along now," he said, motioning towards the open door.

Stella made sure she had her bag with her, then ran off towards the train.


	3. RUN!

**

* * *

Title**: By Chance (Working Title, suggestions appreciated)  
**Author**: Me! Arinya, known as many other names, Neopluto being one of them.  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Summary**: When an ordinary girl slips into the wizarding world by accident, no one can tell what will happen, except wondrous things. Included: Snape action, good drama writing.  
**Disclaimer**: This disclaimer goes for all the chapters of this story. None of J.K Rowling's characters belong to me, and at the moment are just being borrowed. No infrigement intended. I'm not making any money off of this. Stella on the other hand is mine, as well as Timothy. 

**Chapter 3**: RUN!

The dazzling interior of the train made her look even shabbier than before, and she could just feel it. She smiled nervously at the one other occupant of the car, and took a window seat. She hoped she wasn't dirtying the place so much from all the soot that was on her, and shifted her weight around a bit, trying to get into a comfortable position. She put her bookbag on the seat next to her, and started to wipe her face with her sleeve. 

After a few moments, the train's horn blasted two notes, then went off. Stella could feel it accelerate, and looked out her window, the trees were passing by at an astonishing rate. Her face was much cleaner now, although she did have smudges on it. Her main concern was now with her clothes and hair, but they didn't look like they could get cleaned up anytime soon. She crunched her nose, she didn't really like the smell she was emanating.

Somewhere the sun was setting, and it was getting darker outside. The lights on the train were slowly coming on, keeping a steady illumination. Stella was rather hungry, and tried to ignore the old woman coming down the aisle with a cart full of delicious looking items. She didn't want to give herself away with the whole currency problem, she was so close to getting through with one day already! However, the woman was getting to her, and she stopped at her aisle.

"Would you like anything sweetie?" she asked.

"No, it's okay," said Stella, smiling as best she could and hoping her stomach wouldn't growl.

"All right then, call me if you need me," she said, and continued on her way.

Stella grabbed her bookbag, and took out a chocolate bar, unwrapping it quickly, and taking a large bite.

"Oh, so good," she said to herself, in ecstasy.

She had to force herself to pack it away again though, she needed it to last longer than two minutes. The train ride looked like it was going to be long, and although a nagging voice in the back of Stella's mind told her to keep awake in case of anything. The day had exhausted her and soon she was fast asleep.

"Wake up, we've arrived! Hey, wake up already!"

"I don't want to...!" mumbled Stella, still asleep.

"Come on! We've got to go! I'm kind of hungry here and I don't want to miss dinner!" said the boy who had been sitting in the car with her.

"Leave me alone!"

"Ah!" he yelled in pain and took a step back.

She had just lashed out with her fist, catching his left cheek hard. The boy rubbed it, hoping there wouldn't be a very dark bruise. He'd hate to explain to his friends a girl had punched him while she was sleeping. He shook his head, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, then took a quick step back.

"GET UP!" he said loudly, "WE'VE GOT TO GET TO HOGWARTS...NOW!"

He watched hopefully as she shifted around in her spot a little, then opened her eyes.

"Hey there, the name's Timothy, since we've arrived, I think we should go, and by the way, you've really got to fix your sleeping habits," he said as cheerfully as possible.

Stella rubbed her eyes, and looked at the boy in front of her. She noticed a fading red mark on his face and made a face.

"_I_ did that?! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!" she said quickly.

Timothy waved it off, seeing how she was truly sorry and embarrassed by her actions.

"Ah, it's all right. I've gotten worse. But seriously, I've been trying to get you up for a while now. We've got to go!"

"Give me a sec," she said, grabbed her bag, then followed Tim out.

"Hello there Timothy, you know where you're going right?" asked a man in uniform.

Timothy nodded.

"Sure do, and I'll take her with me"

"Okay, you be nice!" said the man.

"I will! Don't worry!" said Tim, waving.

"So what's your name?" Tim asked, while half-running towards the boats lined up on the nearby shore.

"...Stella," said Stella, after tearing her eyes from the sight of the huge castle up ahead. What had she gotten herself into?

"Beautiful sight huh? I'm going to hate leaving after my seventh year," said Tim as he got into the boat.

"Which are you in now?" she asked, climbing in.

"Fifth. Say, I haven't seen you around before...and you look like you'd be in my year too!"

Stella made quick calculations in her head. He said he was in his fifth year, and he looked to be her age. He said she looked like she was in his year, but hadn't seen her before. She was 15, he was probably 15, so you started Hogwarts, this school when you were ten.

"I'm uh, I transferred from another school," said Stella.

"Ahh, nice to meet a new friend! I'm in Slytherin...actually, it's a bit of a shame really. I may have a mean streak at times, but that's just because I have alot of siblings! How can you not develop one when you have them running around? Anyway, I guess you're no so familiar with the whole House business either?" said Tim.

Stella laughed a little.

"No, I'm quite a stranger to it all," she said, thinking this was all very ironic.

"Let me break you in then! Hogwarts was founded by four great people, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. Now they worked together for a while just fine, they got the castle up and going, made it a school to teach magic. But then Godric and Salazar got into a fight about who should be accepted and who shouldn't. See the people who've lived in the wizarding community all along have pure blood, and the muggles who got accepted didn't. Salazar wasn't very happy with that, he wanted to keep the bloodlines pure, but Godric argued that anyone with magic talent should be accepted."

"Ah, I think I remember some of this! My friend was talking about it once, I just wasn't listening to her," said Stella.

"Well that's good, it's a bit hard on your mouth, going through hundreds of years of history. It's okay with you right?" he asked.

"Yeah, perfectly!" It was strange, but Stella really did remember the details of what he was talking about. Her friend had been obsessed with some sort of person named Harry Potter, or something of the like. She wasn't paying attention then, so she really wasn't sure.

"So the school's based on the four Houses, get it, Four Founders, four Houses?" Timothy said.

"Completely," said Stella laughing.

"Great. The Sorting Hat sorts all the new students into their respective Houses by sort of...probing their minds, seeing what sort of person they are and what sort of House would best suit them. Gryffindors are known for their bravery and courage, things like that. Ravenclaws for their cleverness and dedication to their studies. Hufflepuff for their loyalty and cheerfulness. And Slytherin, well...Slytherin has a bit of a bad record. History shows that they've been turning out evil wizards. But it doesn't mean all Slytherins are bad! I mean, what about me? To cut to the chase, they're known for their ability to get things done"

"Whew," said Tim, leaning back into the boat.

"Long talk huh?" said Stella.

"Very," he agreed.

"Before we talk about anything else, I was just wondering. How did our train catch up so quickly?" asked Stella.

"Ah, that's something I learned in my second year when I was late. See, the late train chugs as fast as it can to the main one that's left in the morning with a bit of extra magic, then when it does catch up, hooks onto the end and voila, a couple extra cars! I don't know the mechanics of it all, that's all the driver would tell me," said Timothy.

"I see, thanks"

"Anytime," said Tim.

Stella thought that it was pretty awkward that she was sitting in a small self-propelling boat with a guy she hardly knew underneath a blanket of stars. It was beautiful outside, and the air was crisp. She sighed quietly. It was actually a very romantic setting if one thought about it.

* * *

Soon the boat had arrived at the opposite shore, and Tim and Stella got out, heading towards the castle doors. In the full light, Stella noticed that everyone, including Timothy were wearing black robes with crests on them. She was the only one who wasn't.

"Hey, how come you didn't change into your robes?" asked Timothy.

"I um, I kind of lost them," said Stella, saying the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Oh?" said Tim, looking sort of confused.

"That's why I was late, I was looking for them," said Stella, trying to figure out what else to say next.

"Well there's nothing we can do about them now, come on, we can watch the rest of the Sorting, then get I'll bring you over to Dumbledore since you've just transferred, he'll tell you everything you need to know about your classes and such," said Tim.

"I think I'm in way over my head," Stella mumbled to herself, and hoped Timothy hadn't heard her when she realized she said so outloud.

She followed Timothy to a long table where many other people were sitting at.

"This is the Slytherin table," said Tim, "Don't pay attention to any of them"

Stella noted some looks directed at her that didn't look too friendly, and sat down next to Timothy. She felt rather strange, being the odd one out, but still looked at the ceremony going on. There was a stool at the head of the room and an elderly lady who was probably a professor of some sort holding a tattered old hat. A boy had just left the stool, going over to join another table. Stella tilted her head a bit, seeing the banners that hung over each of the four tables. The boy was in Ravenclaw. A girl was called up next, and sat on the stool, looking a bit apprehensive. The woman put the hat on the girl, and everyone watched with bated breath.

After a few moments, the hat _shouted_ "GRYFFINDOR!" and the entire place burst out in applause. Although Stella noted that the table she was at didn't do their best at it. The girl eagerly half-ran towards the red and gold clad table and sat down, being welcomed heartily by her new friends.

* * *

Severus Snape's brow creased upon the entrance of the newcomer who was obviously not a Hogwarts student. He would not say anything to the Headmaster until he got a chance to, but in the meantime, he would watch this girl very carefully. She looked so obviously muggle that he was left wondering why no one else noticed, or why she herself wasn't getting excited by the floating candles. He saw her look up at where he and the other teachers were sitting, her eyes scanning them all one by one. When she got to him, he didn't try to hide his intention and glared right back at her. He could tell she was trying not to look troubled, and he snarled a bit. Next to him, Flitwick was looking at his future students, but turned towards his colleague upon hearing the sound, and noted the nasty look on his face, judging it would be best not to bother him.

* * *

"Who's the man in black over there? He's looking murderous right now," Stella asked Timothy in a hushed voice.

"Who? Oh you mean Professor Snape...you're right, he does look like he's going to kill someone. I wonder what's bothering him..." said Timothy.

'Me,' thought Stella. She had gotten the message this Snape was trying to give her. He knew who she was.

"Um Timothy, is there a bathroom around here?" she asked, shifting in her seat a little.

"Do you really have to go? I don't want you to get lost, and besides, it won't be too long until Dumbledore makes his speech and we have dinner!" said Timothy, turning around.

Stella's stomach growled loudly at the thought of a feast, and she winced. Dinner would be good right now.

"And I can tell you're hungry," added Tim, "Just wait a bit longer"

'Victim to my own impulses,' thought Stella with a tinge of mirth, and stayed in her seat.

This magical school was much different than she thought it would be. It was alot farther from the portals than she had thought, it was probably some sort of boarding school. And it looked like there would be some formidable security, especially with Professor Snape.

When the Sorting was over, the one called Dumbledore stood and addressed everyone.

"Greetings to all our new students!"

Stella felt as if he were talking to her only.

"I would like to welcome you to the new schoolyear with the introduction of our new Defense Against Dark Arts professor, Lenna Fairfield"

A young woman stood up from amongst the sitting teachers. She had shoulder-length curly brown hair, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. A nice looking person overall. There was a brief moment of applause for her, and she sat back down.

"As always, the Forbidden Forest and Third Floor are off-limits to everyone. This year we hope to have another Quidditch Cup match, and Yule ball. Since that seems to be all the important announcements, I see no reason to keep you waiting. Let us enjoy the feast!"

And with those words, all the tables filled up magically with food. Stella was in shock for a moment, then started putting some stuff on her plate.

"Who's your mate?" asked a boy, hungrily stuffing his face with the food.

"Her name's Stella, transfer student, be nice, 'kay? Or I'll bash your guts in," said Timothy, taking a bite out of the chicken leg he managed to procure.

Stella tried not to stare at Timothy's behavior since it seemed everyone was just starving, and gave a little smile to the boy.

"Hi"

"Mm, name's Kyle," he said, then turned back to his plate.

"Ah..." said Stella, more to herself than anyone else.

She tried not to worry about Professor Snape, and tried to concentrate on eating. But she couldn't help but take a quick peek over everyone's heads. The man wasn't sitting at the table anymore! Where was he? Stella looked over everyone, trying to find him. She had to forget the food now, _he_ was of the utmost importance.

"Stella, I thought you were starving, come on!" said Timothy, still eating.

"Um, Timothy, I don't feel very well. I've got to go," she said, spotting Snape coming closer to her in a swath of whirling black robes.

Timothy looked up at her, worried.

"Hey are you all right?"

"No, Timothy, I have to go! Bye!" she said, then stood up and half-ran from the table.

"HEY! Stella!" shouted Timothy, standing up.


End file.
